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Citron, Domestic, for Mince Meat

Citron is prepared by peeling, cutting, brining, soaking, simmering, and candying for use in mince meat.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Citron, Domestic, for Mince Meat

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Peel the green rind from the citron and cut it into 1/8 or 1/16 inch pieces.

  2. Remove all the seeds and pulp, leaving only the firm flesh.

Brine and freshen

  1. Soak the pieces in strong brine for 12 hours, changing the brine twice.

  2. Freshen the citron by soaking it in cold water.

Cook and candy

  1. Bring the citron to a simmer in cold water and cook until tender.

  2. Candy the citron as you would orange peel.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Citron
Its firm flesh forms the bulk of the mincemeat and keeps its shape and chew.
Strong brine
Salt firms the citron tissue and draws out some bitterness before cooking.
Sugar
Sugar penetrates the softened citron, adding sweetness and preserving it as it candies.

The step that matters

Freshen the citron after brining. Soaking in cold water removes surface salt left from the brine. Skipping or rushing this step leaves the citron too salty, and the sugar in the candying stage cannot fully balance it.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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